321

Aprill the 10th. 1679

mr. Henshaw the vice Pt. tooke the chair

vpon Reading the minutes of Aprill the 3d. A Discourse was
occasioned concerning The Time. when Gunns were first
Inuented and Brought into vse, And it was obserued by
mr. Henshaw that when they were first vsed they joyned
a bow also to the same stock which serued for the
musquet and thence twas called ^ /in menagius/ Arcubugio. These were
vsed in the time of King Henry the 5th. which was supposed
Long after Roger Bacons time. Herevpon it was Debated
whether Swarts were the first Inuentor of Gunpowder
or only of the method of making vse of it in Gunns, and
whether he were not rather the Inuentor of Gunns
then of Gunpowder since It is plaine by seueral passa
ges in Roger Bacons works, that not only he himself
was not Ignorant of the way of making such a powder
but that euen the Powder It self was very commonly known
and commonly made vse of for making fireworks not only
by . . . boye boyes here in England but generally in most
other place. It was therefore Desired that Inquiry might be
made into the times of their Liuing. Dr. Croon affirmed that
Pancioallj supposing it yet vnknown to any before swarts time
mr. Hooke vowd that though they had not Gunpowder yet tht by the
help of Great springs ^ /wherewith they made their engines/ they were able to doe very great things -
That Besides Diuers othere springy Bodys they knew the vse
of the spring of the air as is euident in Hero works - especially in
that mentiond by vitruuius for the quenching of fire.
Dr. Allein mentiond that Caesalpinus had giuen a good hint for the Cir
culation of the Blood and was alledged by some as if he had
been the first Discouerer, But his concluding his Discourse
wth. a query what became of the Blood after it had pass
come into the right ventricule of the Heart plainly shewd
that he vnderstood not the true circulation of the Blood ^ /since found by Dr Haruy./

Ref: CELL/RS/HF_323  © Centre for Editing Lives and Letters